1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a digital video camera and a digital camera, particularly, an imaging apparatus capable of showing a display effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a business video camera, a photographer often performs manual focus (hereinafter, referred to as MF) operation, which precisely focuses on an object within a angle of view or intentionally defocuses the object, under various shooting conditions. Further, MF is not limited to the business video camera. There are consumer digital video cameras that can not only perform autofocus (hereinafter, referred to as AF) but also can switch to the MF operation.
In order to enhance visibility such as correctness of focusing in the business imaging apparatus, a large screen image display unit can be provided or an external separate display device can be connected to the camera. Further, in a consumer imaging apparatus, to achieve miniaturization and cost reduction, a display unit such as an electronic viewfinder (EVF) for image display and a liquid crystal display panel is often small-sized. Accordingly, from the viewpoint of display resolution, visibility of a display is not sufficiently high.
Further, a consumer digital video camera in a high-definition format is increasingly used. However, when an image captured in the high-definition format (hereinafter referred to as HD image) is viewed on a large screen television, defocusing may appear more conspicuously than in a case of a conventional super density (SD) image (navigation technology system (NTS), phase alternating line (PAL) or the like).
In a business video camera and also in a consumer video camera, in order to enhance visibility of focusing in a display unit, there is a technique to assist focusing when focusing is manually performed.
The technique is referred to as, for example, “contour correction, video peaking and enhancer (hereinafter referred to as peaking)”. According to the technique, a contour signal is extracted from a captured image and the contour is emphasized by executing superimposition and addition to an original image, or an edge is emphasized by applying, for example, a band pass filter to an image.
An emphasized contour is differently seen depending on a shooting object and characteristics of a display unit in each imaging apparatus, such as a display size and the number of display pixels. There is a business imaging apparatus in which a user itself can change an emphasizing level of contour and a display color with a dedicated dial or the like during shooting.
On the other hand, a digital video camera often includes not only a function of shooting a moving image but also a function of shooting a still image. There is also a camera, in which not only an image can be shot by
switching between a moving image mode and a still image shooting mode but also a function of simultaneously shooting a still image during moving image shooting is provided.
Generally, in a still image shooting mode which shoots only a still image like a digital camera, a focused location is specified by displaying a focus frame on a focus area determined to be an in-focus state among a plurality of focus areas which detect in-focus states.
In contrast to this mode, in still image shooting during moving image shooting, display relating to an in-focus state of a still image such as display of a focus frame is not performed and still image shooting is performed by giving priority to a moving image shooting.
In such circumstances, with respect to peaking display, in order to improve visibility and operability, the following imaging apparatus has been proposed.
An imaging apparatus has been proposed which divides a region within an image based on a degree of focusing. A defocus state of an image in an out-of focus region is exaggerated according to a degree of focusing, and with respect to an in-focus region, for example, sharpness is emphasized. In addition, a processing mode is switched between the uniform display processing and the divided display processing in a screen (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-96753).
Further, an imaging apparatus has been proposed which, when still image shooting is executed during moving image shooting, indicates in a finder that moving image shooting is in progress, after a still image is shot, in a display form different from previous one. Accordingly, a user does not forget that moving image shooting is in progress while concentrating on still image shooting (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-222664).
Further, an imaging apparatus has been proposed which inserts a still image into a display screen that displays a moving image during shooting, to visually indicate that a still image has been shot during moving image shooting (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-308488).
In an imaging apparatus that includes a function of simultaneously shooting a still image during moving image shooting, it is required to grasp precisely a degree of focusing of each of a moving image and a still image by a simple operation.
In an imaging apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-96753, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-222664 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-308488, an improvement is made with respect to a focus assist function and a display method at the time of simultaneously shooting a moving image and a still image. However, the improvement is limited to control concerning a peaking display method and display of a shooting mode in a single operation mode at the time of a still image shooting mode and a moving image shooting mode.
Thus, in an imaging apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-96753, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-222664 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-308488, a degree of focusing corresponding to each of a moving image and a still image at the time of simultaneous shooting of a still image during moving image shooting is not referred to. Therefore, it is difficult to grasp precisely the degree of focusing of each of a moving image and a still image by a simple operation.